


ears to see, eyes to hear

by orphan_account



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - College/University, Disabled Character, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hannibal is Not a Cannibal, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Will and Beverly are BFFs, Will is a college student
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 18:17:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11629191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Oh... What an unfortunate turn of events, Hannibal thought. It all made sense now. Alana went on and on about Will but Hannibal could not focus on what she was saying as he felt himself flush with embarrassment for the first time in his forty years of life.





	ears to see, eyes to hear

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language so if there are any mistakes, please feel free to point them out.

  


The long and spacious corridors of the university building were unexpectedly empty and confusing, much to Hannibal Lecter’s dismay. He walked in a hurried manner; looking around, trying to figure out which way to go. Patience was one of his strongest virtues but the idea of being late to his rendezvous was distasteful and he could feel the annoyance starting to build. He was supposed to meet with Alana in her office fifteen minutes ago.  
  
  
Alana was a piano teacher and two months ago she had transferred to a university, closer to her home with Margot, to whom she has been married for almost a year now. Hannibal wanted to pay Alana a visit for some time now but he had been extremely busy with trying to set up his own private practice in psychiatry in Baltimore. He could finally make time for his dear friend today and now he was rather ‘unfashionably’ late.  
  
  
He reluctantly admitted to himself that he got lost. Apparently, the classes for the day were over as there were no students around to ask for directions. He was about to call Alana when he heard the faint sound of music coming from one of the classrooms ahead. Someone was playing the piano. He quickened his steps, following the sound, and found the source of music. Before entering the classroom, he reluctantly knocked on the door, making his presence known.  
  
  
The room he entered was large and airy, with a glass wall right across the door offering a beautiful view of the campus grounds and the lake. There were several chairs forming a semi-circle behind the piano, which, currently, a young man whose back turned to him was playing. Probably a student. It seemed he was so lost in the music that he didn’t even hear Hannibal entering the classroom. Interesting. He had slender shoulders and was wearing a cream jacket which looked a size or two bigger on him. The golden wash of late afternoon light, which was coming from the glass wall right where the piano was placed, was embracing his figure warmly and giving him a rather ethereal look. For some time, Hannibal forgot what he was supposed to do and simply listened to the music and watched the young man whose body was swaying in tune with the melody he was playing. A strange sense of tranquility washed over him, something he hadn't felt in a while. Despite his sour mood a moment ago, he could feel a smile starting to tug at the corner of his lips.  
  
  
Not wanting to disrupt the peaceful moment, he waited until the young man finished his playing and cleared his throat before saying hello, which was left unanswered. Hannibal didn’t let it faze him and continued to speak, in a bit more louder voice: 

  


“I apologize for disturbing your peace. But I am afraid I am lost. Could you help me, please?” 

  


After a moment of straightening his back and cracking his knuckles, the young man let out a huff in annoyance. Oh. _Rude_. He stood up from the bench and turned around, seemingly not having a care in the world about how rude he was being. He stopped abruptly and looked up at Hannibal with wide eyes as if startled by the sight of him. Hannibal was slightly taken aback by the beauty of the young man in front of him. His brown curls were messy and disheveled, going in every direction and giving him a wild look. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed without bothering to comb it. His bright blue eyes were framed by long lashes. Hannibal could see the spark of greens and yellows from up this close.  
  
  
As Hannibal stood there, appreciating his beauty, the young man narrowed his eyes and looked away from Hannibal’s scrutinizing stare, frowning at the floor. Apparently, he was determined not to say anything. Hannibal was annoyed but even then, he found that he could not tear his gaze away. He decided he liked this boy’s eyes but did not like the irked look in them. 

  


"It is in poor manners to ignore when someone asks you a question, wouldn't you agree?"

  


The boy looked up at Hannibal with widened eyes once again and the irritated look on his face quickly turned into one of embarrassment as he blushed furiously. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then seemed to decide against it and bit his lower lip. They stayed like that, staring at each other, for God knows how long. Right at this moment, a loud voice from behind Hannibal interrupted the tense silence between them:

  


"Will! What are you still doing here?”

  


Hannibal turned around to see a young Asian girl, probably another student, standing at the doorway. She ran her hands through her long black hair, frustrated, before placing them on her hips. Without acknowledging Hannibal’s presence, she continued to scold the young man― Will, now Hannibal learned. Somehow the name suited him. 

  


“Do you have any idea what time is it? I thought you slipped, fell down the stairs and fainted or something! I keep telling you to check your phone! I've been calling you for 15 minutes!"

  


Will walked over to the girl and took her hand in his, shoulders slumped apologetically. She sighed loudly and said: “Don’t do that again” before turning to look at Hannibal, frowning when she couldn't place a name to the face. She looked between Hannibal and Will, seeming to pick up on the tense silence in the room and asked Hannibal:

  


"Is there a problem here, sir?"

  


Hannibal quickly regained his composure and answered:

  


"I am here to visit Professor Alana Bloom and I was merely asking the young man here if he had any idea where her office might be. I’m afraid I lost my way."

  


"Professor Bloom's office is upstairs, sir. You are on the wrong floor.”

  


"Ah. Well, that explains why I couldn’t find it,” he said, smiling slightly. “Thank you. I will be on my way then. Have a good day." 

  


“You too, sir.” The young girl answered smiling, before turning back to her friend ―boyfriend? and went into a monologue: “Let’s go, Will! I am gonna cook that new recipe Jimmy gave me yesterday. We need to buy some mushrooms first though. Wait, did you just roll your eyes at me? You totally did! Is this how you show gratitude to the person who feeds you!” 

  


Hannibal didn’t wait to hear Will’s reply and left the classroom to find Alana’s office. He was rather frustrated with the young man’s ill-mannered behavior and with himself, for letting it get to him so much. But if there was one thing he could not stand, it was discourteous people. Shame that such beauty was wasted on someone undeserving of it. He let out a sigh and decided not to dwell on someone who he will probably never see again. He took the stairs to the second floor and walked through the long corridor which finally led him to his destination. 

  


Alana welcomed him with a genuine smile and brushed off his apology for being late with a wave of her hand.

  


“These corridors can be confusing for a first-time visitor,” she said as she gave him a brief hug. 

  


“I was almost entirely sure that your office was on the 1st floor. The fatigue of these past few weeks must be taking its toll on me. Also, I couldn't find anyone to ask for directions. Well, until I came across this young man who was playing the piano."

  


Hannibal didn’t know why he was telling Alana about his encounter with Will when just a moment ago he had decided to let it go. 

  


"Oh, so you had the privilege to hear Will play. Isn’t he brilliant?”

  


Hannibal didn’t miss the fond look on Alana's face, and he couldn’t help but be curious about the young man now if he wasn’t already before. 

  


“He seems to be very talented. He is one of your students?”

  


“No, he is majoring in criminal psychology. But I met him around a month ago when he auditioned for the school orchestra. He wasn’t chosen though. But I told him he is free to play one of our pianos whenever he wants to. Now he always comes here after the students leave.”

  


Hannibal was impressed by Will's passion about the piano; staying and practicing after school hours every day. Dedication in young people was a rare thing nowadays.

  


"Sounds like quite a dedicated student. Why was he not chosen?"

  


“Frederick…” Alana sighed and curled her lips. “God forbid he doesn’t have the last word in everything…” 

  


Hannibal heard of Frederick Chilton. He was the principal of Alana’s university. A man whose arrogance and ego made him unfit for the position, as far as Hannibal was concerned.

  


"He thinks Will’s disability makes him an ineligible candidate. I tried to change his mind but to no avail. If only it was up to me…” 

  


“Disability?” 

  


Hannibal tried to remember if Will had a finger missing or anything. But he had not spent much time with the young man to notice something like that.

  


“Yes… Will can’t hear. I don’t know if his condition is congenital or was caused by an accident or trauma. All I know is he is extremely talented in piano but Frederick just won’t look past his disability to see it.” 

  


Oh... What an unfortunate turn of events, Hannibal thought. It all made sense now, Will’s reactions. He did not answer Hannibal but not because he was ignoring him. He did not answer because he could not hear him. 

  


Alana went on and on about Will but Hannibal could not focus on what she was saying as he felt himself flush with embarrassment for the first time in his forty years of life.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This is my first fic so I guess it's safe to say that I don't know what I am doing xD Hope you liked the first chapter. Comments and kudos are very appreciated! ♥
> 
> Oh btw, I imagined the classroom in which Will was playing the piano something similar to this: https://ibb.co/dB3uAQ


End file.
